HIGHLAND GUARDIAN - Melissa Mayhue
Pocket Books
ISBN: 978-1-4165-3287-3
November 2007
Fantasy Romance

Thistle Down Manor, Scotland - Present Day

Sarah Douglas is a romance author who is going through a bit of a dry spell. The words won't come, and her life seems harder and harder to get through each day. For some reason, she feels a strong pull to go to Scotland for the summer, and more particularly Thistle Down Manor. The major trouble in her life is her ability to touch people and feel. Sorrow, greed, anger, joy, pain, everything flows to her, and has since she was seven years old. At Thistle Down Manor, she meets Ian McCullough, and his touch leaves her feeling only peace and warmth.

Ian McCullough is a Guardian, half Fae -- or Faerie -- and half mortal. For hundreds of years he has guarded the Portal to the Fae Kingdom from those who would try to get through and cause conflict. Ian feels an immediate connection to Sarah and knows she has Fae abilities she knows nothing about and tries to deny. But to be with a mortal, Ian would have to cease to be a Guardian, something that's been his whole life for hundreds of years.

Ian's duty soon comes into conflict with the beauty and gentle spirit that is part of Sarah. Sarah is looking to find what led her to Scotland and comes face to face with the truth of her gifts and her true self. A small child explains who and what Sarah is, and she must try to accept the reasons behind her feelings when touching people. Despite all the signs, Sarah continues to disbelieve the Fae part of herself. Throw in an ex-husband who killed her spirit years ago, and we have a recipe for disaster. To protect himself, Ian tries to stay away from the one woman who completes an important part of himself. What decision will Ian make, and can he protect her from being a pawn in leading the Nuadians to the Portal?

HIGHLAND GUARDIAN is the second novel by the extremely talented Melissa Mayhue. She embraces the land of the Fae and their special world, and intrigues us as we read about the people she has written about with such care and imagination. An enthralling read from beginning to end, we feel a connection to each character, even the evil ones.

Dallyn is a Fae and in charge of protecting the Portal from the inside. He can only be seen by those with Fae blood and constantly irks Ian when he appears. Dallyn talks in riddles and can never give sane advice. Instead, he talks around a problem and drives Ian crazy. Daniel is a friend of Ian's, and his six-year-old son Matt tells Sarah more than she's ever learned about herself and her abilities, if she'd only believe and accept. But most dangerous of all are Reynard and Ramos Servans. Reynard is an evil Nuadian, determined to find a way through the Portal, and Ramos, his half mortal son, has been brought up to hate the Fae, thoroughly brain washed by his father.

HIGHLAND GUARDIAN is a spectacular read this month, and I am anxiously awaiting Ms. Mayhue's next book and learning more about the Fae and their world.

Carolyn Crisher